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Monday, 30 June 2014

Well, its an absolute coincidence that I pick Rahul Dravid as #MyRoleModel for this blog post.Trust me.To prove that point, i am not going to wax eloquently about his famed dependability.I am going to bat for other facets of his persona - which, to me, have not received as much acclaim as they should have.

Patience:In the 'go-getter', instant gratification era we live in - and easily Rahul Dravid endured Indian Cricket's richest era - Rahul is a rare fan of patience.This blog post beautifully captures his shot on patience:My wife and I have built a new home with a lovely garden which houses lovely bamboo trees. I got reading on the Chinese bamboo and learned that the tree takes 5 years, 3 months to grow to its whole height of 80 feet. Yet, for the first 5 years, you only see a tiny green shoot, but in the next 90 days, it grows into a full-fledged tree. But in those first 60 months, it is growing its strong network of roots underground, to support the tree. In an era of instant gratification, we settle for shorter trees, but remember patience has its reward. These are your years of growing that strong network of roots but be sure when you finally achieve your success, people will call it “overnight success”. If only they knew of the Chinese bamboo!(W)e go:India is a deep-rooted patriarchy, ask us women. India, well, most parts of it, still is in awe of 'alpha men', brimming with ego.Rahul Dravid, to me, not only lived through a very tough era for him in Indian Cricket, often appearing to be overshadowed by his more showcased peers but demonstrated how 'ego' can successfully make way for "(w)e go". This is my original coinage (hmm.. guess should copyright it) because I have observed him for a very long time, as a player.Dravid has certainly been the David in the David & Goliath story of his era, if you will.Now, converting ego to (W)e go did not mean playing a meek second fiddle. He was not afraid to stick to his principles and put team over individual when he thought it fit - remember the famous 'Multan declaration'?Adaptability:For a test match genre original, he did remarkably reinvent himself and adapted to abridged, flashier versions of the game - that often catapult form over substance. Yes, I am talking T20.He did not give up or cave in when T20 set in & had his phase(s) of struggle in One Day Internationals (ODIs) as well. I think, as a tribute to that, I should end this blog post in T20 style .. keeping it succinctly brief hereon .. though I started this blog post in Test match style. Mr.Clean:Well, he not only has a strikingly clean face, but also an image that is among the squeaky cleanest for his peer group.I especially mean the personal side in an era when some of his peers were locked in multiple digressions.Leadership:Rahul is an anti-thesis to your 'in your face' leader. The way he synthesized 'Rajasthan Royals', the IPL team he captained, is worthy of leadership story-telling.Not a marquee outfit to start with (they didn't splurge on all big name players), he worked on each individual - optimizing strengths and marginalizing development needs - to make sure the sum total of the team is much greater than its parts.Articulate & bespoke:I have always admired Ravi Shastri for being, probably, the best articulate & bespoke Indian cricketer, after Tiger Pataudi. Rahul took that baton over for his generation of Indian cricketers. He comes across as shy at first, but once he finds his comfort zone (I have observed it during his stint with sports broadcasting, of late), you can hear him articulate the sanest things about the game.

Well, remember, we are to end in T20 style. So, that rings in the innings close - hope you liked reading about my 'alter' take on Rahul Dravid as #MyRoleModel. I am writing about #MyRoleModelas a part of the activity by Gillette Indiain association with Blogadda.com.Cheers :)

With 70 goals in 130+ matches, Klose is currently Germany's current top all- time goal scorer.

He is also one of only two players, along with Peruvian Teófilo Cubillas, to have scored at least five goals in two different World Cups, as well as the only player to have scored at least four in three different tournaments.

Character - Fairplay:

More than anything else, this is what makes him a crowning glory as #MyRoleModel.

Values and character that have shown through as much as his achievements.

The closest Klose has gotten to a 'controversy' is, remarkably, the types football legends and football folklore is made of.

In a fiercely competitive and lucrative sport, where a vital goal can bestow divine status and herald fortunes richer than National Governments! Therefore, most players, hook or crook, want to get there. Yes, remember the Hand of God goal?

Now, replay this:

On 30 April 2005, whilst playing for the club Werder Bremen, Klose refused to accept a penalty given against goal-keeper Arminia Bielefeld due to it being incorrect. Klose walked up to the referee and said the goalee had handled the ball first. He was later given a fair play award for this unprecedented display of character. Football rose a few notches as a sport to inspire youngsters watching the game. Football's humanity gest!

Lest you think it was a fluke, he followed it up in true Champion style:

At the end of September 2012, Klose scored a goal using his hand, inadvertently, in the flow of play, againstNapoli. Klose admitted this to the referee, who then took back his decision for the goal, spared Klose from a yellow card and shook his hand.

Head over Heels:

Anyone can be successful - especially in ruthlessly commercial times, all the more so in Sports, in our era. But to be successful embodying those aforesaid traits, now that is something! That truly is head over heels for a footballer famously told, after the 2006 Golden Boot award that he should have been given the 'Golden Head' award (a jocular reference to him having scored most of the goals from head-butts rather than the foot).

Mr. Goody Two Shoes:

On a lighter note, talking of 'model' in the 'Role Model', Klose comes with chocolate boy modeling looks :) What strikes as 'Mr.Goody Two Shoes', what say?

I have never failed to notice his clean cut and glowing face, much a reflection of an akin personality / character.

Saturday, 14 June 2014

Note:Celebrity images are sourced from the public Internet domain; copyright for the images rests with their respective owner(s); this blog gratefully acknowledges & thanks the copyright owners. Cheers :)

Friday, 6 June 2014

A Farm and an airport are .. quite simply, far apart in our scheme of life!Recently, Sunfeast, from the house of ITC Foods, brought both together.In a first of its kind customer awareness cum engagement program in India, travelers at the Kempegowda International Airport, Bangalore, recently got a bite of 'health' and 'taste' in this unique #FarmliteSurprise.It obviously took elaborate preparations from ITC Foods, ahead of the surprise:

When the ambience was ready, it truly turned out to be a green little farm paradise. The program involved two large elements of surprise for the travelers after they got off the aircraft and reached the airport lobby.

The travelers navigated through the replica of a farm which encompasses windmills, actual almond trees, wheat farm etc. As they navigated through the farm and reached the baggage section, the baggage belt had to be manually pedaled using exercise cycles stationed at the venue. Else, the baggage belt wouldn't just move!

Do I love those cowboy hats and folk music or what!

Many travelers volunteered and took up the challenge sportingly, to get the conveyer belt moving to collect their luggage. Some other curious travelers started cycling and the conveyor belt loaded with Sunfeast Farmlite biscuits arrived for the travelers along with their baggage. Thus Sunfeast Farmlite managed to transform a mundane activity like waiting for your baggage into a fun workout and hence reinforcing the brand message that 'Staying Healthy can be fun'!

Take a look at this video to see how much fun folks actually had at the #FarmliteSurprise:

Sunfeast Farmlite health biscuits are available in two variants across all leading grocery stores:

Sunfeast Farmlite Oats and Almonds: A deliciously healthy cookie loaded with the goodness of oats, wheat and almonds.

Sunfeast Farmlite Oats and Raisins: A deliciously healthy cookie loaded with the goodness of oats, wheat and raisins.

Hope you enjoyed reading about the surprise; remember, you heard it here :)